The Unintended Outcomes of Well-Intentioned Mission Projects
This is a hard article to write. I don’t want to write it, but I need to. I need to write it because it seems we have gotten a bit off course in our mission efforts. Even if we are just a few degrees off that can be huge in the long run. That may not seem like a big deal to some people, but consider this. If you were trying to get from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., and you are just one degree off when you start, you'd end up on the other side of Baltimore, 42.6 miles away. Add several more degrees of and …. well you get the picture. Close, but you were heading to DC. So whether you’re 42 miles off or 400 miles off, you still missed your mark. That is the route that many of our Christian mission efforts have gone. Close, but we have not hit our targets.
In Christian mission work, there is this idea that any project, well-intended and driven by a genuine desire to impact the world, is a good project. I am so thankful for people who want to do something Vs sit around. BUT … (big pause), it is essential to acknowledge that not all mission projects are created equal. Just because a project is well intended does not mean it is effective. I have seen many projects that were well intended, and they ended up doing more harm than good.
Projects Driven by Feel-Good Intentions
One significant reason some Christian mission projects fail to achieve their intended goals is that they are often initiated based on what church members feel passionate about rather than a comprehensive assessment of needs or the church's overall strategy of missions. Dr. Nik Ripken has often told me, “The needs of the witnesser cannot outweigh the needs of the lost.”
When we do projects that help the church members feel good, we miss the mark. It is not about us. It is about those who do not have the gospel.
Take the story of a church that wanted to help clothe people in an African village. True story BTW. They shipped containers full of clothes to give away in the village for two years. After two years, the church pulled out and never returned. This feel-good mission project put the local African tailors out of business. Why buy clothes from the local tailor when you can get them free from some American mission project? Those tailors had to leave the village and find work elsewhere. After a few years, the church pulled out of the project and no longer supplied free clothes. The local tailors had left. The villagers could no longer purchase clothes locally. They had to travel long distances to get their clothes, which in turn cost them much more money and time than they were previously paying. This project hurt everyone except the American Church. I am sure they felt they had done a great project for that African community but had instead hurt this local village.
I had a person tell me once that they loved a specific national project that we were doing, because “…it’s cheap, easy, and makes me feel so good about myself”. That statement 20 years ago set me off on a journey to not engage in projects that “make us feel good” but instead achieve a goal of gospel penetration. It is not about us, but I am afraid the modern American church does not always understand that.
I am not saying that good things cannot come from some of these initiatives. We can find good in some of the worst mission ministry ideas. My questions revolve around “What are the best projects we should be doing?” versus what I prefer.
As mission leaders, our job is to ensure that we engage in projects that do something that leads to gospel penetration.
The Importance of Evaluation and Discovery
To ensure the effectiveness of Christian mission projects, churches need to engage in a continual process of evaluation and discovery. This means regularly assessing the impact of ongoing projects and being willing to adjust course if necessary. Unfortunately, some missions lack a structured evaluation framework, leading to an inability to gauge whether their efforts achieve the desired outcomes.
Evaluation should involve gathering data and feedback from the community or people group being served and the mission team on the field. It should seek to answer questions like:
Is the project meeting the identified needs of the community?
Are there unintended consequences or negative impacts?
Does this project create dependency?
Is the project sustainable in the long term?
By regularly assessing these aspects, churches can make informed decisions about continuing, adapting, or discontinuing a particular mission project.
The Need for Mission Strategies
Church leaders should learn and employ good strategies to ensure mission projects are strategic and practical. These strategies involve thoughtful planning, engagement with local missionaries, and consideration of long-term sustainability. Here are some critical elements of effective mission strategies:
Needs Assessment: Begin with a comprehensive needs assessment in the target community. Engage with local leaders, organizations, and residents to understand their priorities and challenges.
Collaboration: Seek partnerships with local organizations and churches that deeply understand the community and its needs. Collaborative efforts can maximize resources and knowledge.
Cultural Sensitivity: Learn and respect the community's cultural, social, and religious norms. A one-size-fits-all approach rarely succeeds in mission work.
Empowerment: Rather than imposing solutions, empower the community to participate in decision-making and take ownership of projects. This fosters a sense of ownership and sustainability.
Long-Term Vision: Develop a long-term vision for the project, considering how it will impact the community beyond the initial intervention. Sustainability and self-sufficiency should be integral to the plan.
Christian mission projects have the potential to bring about meaningful change in people’s lives while also alleviating suffering, but they must be approached with care, strategic planning, and continuous evaluation. When driven by genuine needs, guided by strategic thinking, and open to course corrections, these projects can have a lasting and positive impact on the lives of those they aim to serve. By prioritizing the well-being of communities over feel-good intentions, churches can ensure that their mission work makes a difference in the world.